Government allocates $100m to redeploy workers displaced by coronavirus

Gisborne forestry workers to be redeployed to roading and conservation work as part of $100m Government package

20th Mar 20, 11:40am by Greg Ninness

The Government is allocating $100 million to help redeploy workers who lose their jobs due to the Coronavirus pandemic.

The first group to benefit from the package will be forestry workers in Gisborne-Tairawhiti.

Economic Development Minister Phil Twyford said forestry was one of the first industries to be seriously impacted by COVID-19 (coronavirus) and this had had had a significant impact on forestry workers in Tairawhiti.

About $28 million of the $100 million package would be used to redeploy workers in the area for the next three to six months.

Alternative work identified for the affected forestry workers included:

Local roading work, including road maintenance
Hazardous tree removal
Fast-tracked one billion trees project
Conservation work
Retraining an education

The Tairawhiti package will be administered through the Provincial Development Unit in partnership with the Mayors' Forum and Gisborne District Council.

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11 Comments

by waymad | 20th Mar 20, 11:47am 1584658054

So is the $28m part of the PGF's $3b ~~slush fund/NZF re-election bribe~~ allocation, or additional to it?

by ExPatKiwi | 20th Mar 20, 12:17pm 1584659851

So does this only apply to NZ citizens or the 250,000 temp work visa holders?

by Nzdan | 20th Mar 20, 7:00pm 1584684017

Very good question. I certainly hope the former....

by Kate | 20th Mar 20, 12:30pm 1584660627

Glad to hear it. I've been promoting the establishment of a Conservation Corps for ages given the HUGE amount of physical work needed to reverse current environmental degradation.

by Fritz | 20th Mar 20, 1:23pm 1584663836

Seems a good initiative to me
Keeps people in work, and improves the environment

by Advisor | 20th Mar 20, 1:53pm 1584665601

Add fruit-picking in Waikato, BOP and HB to the list. Those farmers are wailing in advance for more hands since JA announced no more temp visa arrivals.

Edit: A mate of mine from uni runs a subcontracting business for horti farmers. He is flat out trying to match out-of-job tourism workers from Rotorua with growers in Te Puke.

by russellj | 20th Mar 20, 2:25pm 1584667537

I really hope the importance of the crop being picked is recognised - it will be a disgrace to the nation if it is fruit is left to rot

by kpnuts | 20th Mar 20, 5:58pm 1584680298

well all the beneficiaries in the area who would not pick it last year -- even with door to door transport are $25 better off - so they wont

but hardworkign kiwis who have lost there jobs will jump at teh opportunity to be earners again - even with wage cuts --

should tell us something about the society we want to create at the end of this crisis

by kpnuts | 20th Mar 20, 5:58pm 1584680327

well all the beneficiaries in the area who would not pick it last year -- even with door to door transport are $25 better off - so they wont

but hardworkign kiwis who have lost there jobs will jump at teh opportunity to be earners again - even with wage cuts --

should tell us something about the society we want to create at the end of this crisis

by profile | 20th Mar 20, 3:57pm 1584673047

Log prices are back up with the fall in bunker fuel, shipping and NZD so let's just keep these chaps in the industry.
Nice yogi bear era stock photo btw.

by Good Samaritian | 20th Mar 20, 5:05pm 1584677108

Floating currency would have helped too.

We'll export our way out of difficulty, as Asia is likely to recover quicker than the US and Europe; as democracy is failing in these countries.